“He’ll Say Something That Needs To Be Said”
April 11th, 2026
Calijah Kancey
Is it pure coincidence that the Bucs are 10-5 when defensive tackle Calijah Kancey starts a regular season game over the past two seasons?
Joe doesn’t think so. Kancey is a problem for offenses. He has elite explosion off the ball. The Bucs’ problem is Kancey only started those 15 games and missed 19 in the same time frame.
Late last season, Kancey returned from his pectoral tear to play in Week 18. He didn’t just play pretty well in his 28 snaps after three-plus months on the shelf, he was a force off the field.
Last year, Todd Bowles said he thinks Kancey could be the next locker room and on-field force of the Bucs defense. Last week at the NFC Coaches Breakfast in Phoenix (no, Joe didn’t lock hands with anyone), Joe asked the head coach if he still feels that way about Kancey.
“I absolutely feel that way, just the way he practices, and the way he works and the way he cares about the game,” Bowles said. “He doesn’t care that he’s one of the younger guys. He’ll say something that needs to be said. And when he came back toward the end of the year, he kind of carried us through that last week of practice and the Carolina game. And you could see the leadership qualities growing in him.”
One thing Joe walked away from Phoenix with after several conversations was that Kancey and Tykee Smith are hungry to be the alpha dogs of the Bucs defense. And they’ll have a more in-your-face way than Lavonte David did when it came to addressing situations and teammates 1-on-1.
Joe’s not saying that’s better or good, just that change is coming to the defense in ways beyond jersey names and assistant coaches